Athena in Greek Mythology & Ancient Literature

Read about Athena's birth, the Odyssey and Greek myth through ancient literature. Compare source traditions without merging their different versions.

Explore Athena in Greek Mythology & Ancient Literature

• The Birth of Athena

  Athena’s armed birth in poetry and art, with the role of Metis and the differences between ancient versions.

• The Contest for Athens

  Athena’s olive, Poseidon’s claim, and the sacred geography of the Athenian Acropolis.

• Athena and Odysseus

  Disguise, recognition, patient planning, and the difficult completion of a homecoming.

• Athena and the Moment before Violence

  A close reading of Athena’s intervention when Achilles reaches for his sword.

• Perseus and the Help of Athena

  Divine assistance, reflected sight, and the importance of identifying the ancient version being retold.

• Athena and the Athenian Child

  Athena’s guardianship of an earth-born child and the myths through which Athens imagined its ancestry.